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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iraq
Index
The Baathist regime introduced a variety of laws, of which
the most important was a 1969 penal code that expanded the
definition of crime to include acts detrimental to the political,
the economic, and the social goals of the state. Baathist
hegemony in the political sphere, for example, was enforced by a
law making it a crime to insult the state or its leaders
publicly. Economic goals were also enforced by several laws--a
1970 trade regulation, for example, made both the selling of
goods at prices other than those fixed by the state and the
production of inferior products felonies. The government's free
education program was enforced by a law making it a crime to
refuse to participate.
The more traditionally defined kinds of crime, including
theft, forgery, bribery, the misappropriation of public funds,
and murder, followed the pattern of most developing states. No
adequate statistical data for Iraq were available in 1987,
however. Amnesty International reported in 1986 that degrading
treatment of prisoners, arbitrary arrests, and denial of fair
public trials were common. In 1985 and in 1986, several highranking officials, including the mayor of Baghdad, were tried for
corruption, were found guilty, and were executed. Presumably, the
purpose of these sentences was to make it clear that criminals
would be punished, regardless of their status.
Data as of May 1988
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